The present invention relates to compositions, particularly compositions for contacting the skin (for example, skin care compositions or personal care compositions), for producing fragrances. More particularly, the present invention relates to such compositions for contacting the skin, wherein the fragrance is formed (e.g., is released from a compound forming a component of the composition) after application of the composition to the skin (that is, body activated fragrances).
It has been desired to provide personal care or skin care products which have components that produce a low level of odor, or are odorless, prior to application to the skin, but which components produce compounds that are pleasant smelling (that is, provides a fragrance) after application to the skin (that is, delayed release of the fragrance). It is desired to provide deodorant or antiperspirant stick products, hand lotions, baby lotions, baby powders, ointments, foot products, facial cleansers, body wipes, facial makeups, colognes, after-shave lotions and/or shaving cream having such components. It is also desired to provide personal care or skin care products (particularly, a deodorant or antiperspirant stick product) that are clear or transparent, and have fragrancing components that, prior to application to the skin (e.g., application to the axillary regions), have a low degree of odor or are odorless, but become pleasant smelling after application.
Solid, transparent, gelled antiperspirant compositions, containing one or more acidic reacting antiperspirant compounds, are known. Note each of U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,816 to Roehl, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,381 to Schamper, et al., for example, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Each of these U.S. patents discloses solid, transparent or clear, antiperspirant gelled stick compositions including an antiperspirant metal compound (such as aluminum clorohydrate), and alcohols (both monohydric and polyhydric alcohols), with sorbitol dibenzyl ether (DBMSA) utilized as a gelling agent. Such antiperspirant sticks gelled with DBMSA as the gelling agent are utilized as an alkaline or neutral media, but not as an acidic media, since even in the presence of small amounts of water DBMSA hydrolyzes in an acidic medium or will react with a reactive alcohol to form a different acetal. Such antiperspirant stick compositions containing DBMSA as the gelling agent are also known to include conventional fragrances, which begin volatilizing at least as soon as the product is formed.
There are also known antiperspirant sticks consisting largely of gelled alcoholic solutions of antiperspirant compounds, with the gelling agent being a sodium salt of a higher fatty acid, like sodium stearate. However, such sticks cannot contain the usual antiperspirant compounds, because the acidic reaction of these usual antiperspirant compounds causes decomposition of the soap. To avoid this defect, alkaline reacting antiperspirant compounds were developed, like aluminum hydroxy chloride-sodium lactate; but these alkaline reacting antiperspirant compounds suffer from a disadvantage of having a poor antiperspirant effect.
It is also known to delay release of a fragrance from a composition by methods such as micro-encapsulation of the fragrance substance. However, a desired objective of a clear, transparent aqueous-glycol based deodorant stick cannot be obtained using such conventional methods of achieving delayed release of fragrances, including micro-encapsulation. For example, standard methods of micro-encapsulating a fragrance oil in a water-soluble coating system will not work utilizing an aqueous-glycol base, since the water in the deodorant stick base dissolves the protective coating and prematurely releases the fragrance. Thus, water-soluble micro-capsules are not compatible with water/glycol based formulations. Furthermore, a water-insensitive coating or micro-capsule, which is compatible with water/glycol based formulations (such as pH-sensitive or heat-sensitive micro-capsules), is not soluble in the water/glycol formula and must therefore be used as a suspension of the solid, micro-encapsulated fragrance in the liquid formula. As can be appreciated, suspensions of solids in clear liquids result in a formula which loses its transparent properties; suspensions are, at best, translucent, and cannot be absolutely clear.
Perfume compositions containing an acetal compound as the fragrancing substance are known. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,146 to Willis, et al. discloses perfume compositions containing acetaldehyde ethyl dihydrolinalyl (6,7-dihydrolinalyl) acetal, the acetal differing from analogous compounds in both odor quality and strength. This patent discloses that addition of the described acetal to various perfume compositions imparts a greener, more lemony and floral character to the original product.
U. S. Pat. No. 3,751,486 to Schleppnik, et al. discloses specific alkyl-substituted unsaturated acetals, useful in preparation and formulation of fragrance compositions such as perfumes and perfumed products due to the pleasing green, floral and woody aromas of the unsaturated acetals. This patent discloses that the acetals described therein have utility in cosmetic, detergent and bar soap formulations.
Neither of U. S. Pat. No. 4,424,146 or No. 3,751,486 discloses that the described compounds can be utilized for delayed release of fragrance, or any mechanism for delayed release of fragrance upon application of, e.g., perfume compositions to the body; and these U.S. Patents do not disclose use of the stated fragrance compounds in clear products (in particular, clear deodorant or antiperspirant stick products).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,479,297 to Rutzen, et al. discloses a room deodorant consisting of 60%-80% by weight propellant; 20%-40% by weight solvent and 0.5%-5% by weight active ingredient, the active ingredient being a cyclic acetal or ketal of a mono-unsaturated aldehyde or ketone having at least 3 carbon atoms and an aliphatic alcohol, the aliphatic alcohol being a 1,2-diol or 1,3-diol having 8-24 carbon atoms. This patent discloses that the cyclic acetal or ketal active ingredient is essentially odorless, but reacts within short periods of time with odiferous substances present in a room to form complexes neutral in odor, the active ingredients being sufficiently stable to retain their effectiveness over a comparatively long period of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,479,297 discloses room deodorants (not body and/or underarm deodorants or other personal care or skin care compositions) containing specific acetals or ketals which react with noxious substances. Such disclosure does not describe compounds which are odorless or of a low level of odor when applied (e.g., when applied to skin) and which are converted into pleasant smelling substances after application.
Accordingly, it is still desired to provide compositions (e.g., personal care or skin care products) having a delayed release of fragrance, especially a clear stick deodorant or antiperspirant product containing components for providing a fragrance, so as to achieve a delayed release of fragrance. It is particularly desired to provide such product wherein the fragrance is released after contact of the composition with skin (that is, a body activated fragrance).